Daily updates about Syria

5/20/2014

Martin Lidegaar, Denmark’s Foreign Minister, said there is no cooperation between Syrian Intelligence and many European countries on counter-terrorism. He also confirmed that EU countries do not cooperate with the Syrian government, but instead work with the Interim Government and the Syrian National Coalition.

The Ministry of Social Affairs dissolved the boards of 15 charities and replaced them with temporary boards. Ammar Kalau, a member of the Executive Office of Damascus said that the boards of directors were replaced due to factors affecting the integrity of their work, or due to manipulation of trade in aid.

On Sunday, residents of Manbij in Aleppo province went on a general strike in protest of abuses perpetrated by the ISIL, such as the execution of 2 men accused of rape whose corpses were then hung from a tree.

–There were claims that the ISIL fired on demonstrators, killing one and wounding 3.

–Manbij is about 90 kilometers northeast of Aleppo city. It was captured in December 2013 and has remained in ISIL hands, although they have been ejected from most of the rest of Aleppo province.

On Monday the government continued its counter-offensive in Daraa province, conducting airstrikes on Nawa, al-Sheikh Miskeen, Enkkhil, Ataman, Tariq al-Sad, Daraa al-Balad, and Daraa camp.

–There were clashes between rebels and regime forces in the west of Ataman and near Nawa.

Russia said it would veto a draft UN resolution to refer Syria to the ICC. Both Russia and China said that any forcible intervention in Syria is “impermissible”.

Electricity in Aleppo has been restored after being cut off for 2 days.

The US will provide conditional lethal weapons, intelligence, and military training to rebels.

–The parties must stop any connection with Jahbat al-Nusra and continue to fight the ISIL. They must also keep foreign fighters out of their ranks.

Activists in Hama claim that 2 people were killed and more than 100 were injured in a chlorine gas attack on Kafr Zita.

The Daily Beast reported that there are more than 100 Americans fighting in Syria.

The Italian Navy rescued 500 refugees off of it’s coast, most of whom were Syrian, including 100 children.